Violin.



No. 654,859. Patented July 3|, 1900. J. swsusou.

VIDLIN.

(Application filed June 17, 1899.\

(No Model.) 2 Sheets$haet WITNESSES INVENTOH Patented July 3!, i900. J. SWENSON.

VIOLIN.

(Application filed June 17, 1899.)

2 $heets-Sheet 2,

,(No Model.)

WITNESSES NITED STATES ATENT tries,

JOHN SWENSON, OF BOONTON, NEW JERSEY.

VIOLIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,859, dated July 31, 1900.

' 7 Application filed June 17, 1899. Serial No. 720,920. (No model.) d

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN SWENSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boonton, in the county of Morris and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Violins, of which the following is a full and complete specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to-make and use the same.

This invention relates to violins; and one object thereof is to provide an improved device of this class which, with the exception of the strings and keys, is made entirely of metal, a further object being to provide a violin of improved construction and superior tone; and with these and other objects in view the invention consists of a violin constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which- Figure l is a plan view of my improved violin; Fig. 2, a central longitudinal section; Fig. 3, a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a plan View of the front end of the bottom portion and Fig. 5 a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings forming part of this specification the same parts of my improvement are designated by numerals of reference in each of the views, and in the practice of my invention I provide'a violin the body portion of which consists of a top 7 and bottom 8, stamped from sheet metal, preferably from aluminium.

The top portion 7 is provided around its perimeter with a downwardly directed flange or rim 9 and the bottom portion 8 with a cor responding upwardly-directed flange or rim 10, and these flanges or rims form the sides and ends of the body portion of the violin and are preferably beveled at their adjacent edges, so that one overlaps the other, as shown at 11 in Fig. 5.

The top portion 7 is provided centrally and longitudinally with a longitudinal reinforcing strip or plate 12, secured to the inner side thereof, and the bottom portion 8 with a cor responding reinforcing strip or plate 13,which is secured to the inner side thereof, and the reinforcing strips or plates 12 and 13 are composed of the same material as the top and bottom portions 7 and 8. The violin is also provided at the opposite sides and centrally with reinforcing cross-strips 14:, which are screwed to the top and bottom flanges 9 and 10, as shown at 15 in Fig. 2, and a corresponding reinforcing-strip 16 at the end opposite the neck is also screwed to the top and bottom flanges 9 and 10, as shown at 17, said reinforcing-strips 14C and 16 being on the inner side of the violin.

The neck 18 and finger-board 1.9 are preferably formed integral, and the bottom portion 8 is provided with a projecting portion 20, and the heel 21 of the neck is provided with a backwardly-directed portion 22, screwed to the part 20, as shown at 23, and the top portion 8 is provided with a forwardly and upwardly directed projection 24?, which is screwed to the under side of the fin ger-board, as shown at 25, and the projecting parts or portions 24: and are stamped from the flanges or rims 9 and 10 of the top and bottom portions 7 and 8 when the latter are stamped out. The neck 18 is also provided with the usual head 26, through which the key-pins 27 are passed, and a string-piece 28 is secured to the heel of the violin by the screws 17.

As shown in the drawings, the strings 29 are connected with the string-piece 28 in the usual manner, and a bridge 30 is also employed composed of material similar to that of the body portion of the violin.

In practice I prefer to make my improved violin of aluminium or an alloy thereof; but other metal may be employed, and Various changes in and modifications of the construc tion described may be madewithout departing from the spirit of my invention or sacriflcing its advantages.

In connecting the overlapping edges of the flanges 9 and 10 of the top andbottom portions 7 and 8 a suitable cement, preferably what is known as glass cement, is placed between said overlapping portion, so as to make the body portion of the violin perfectly air tight.

It will be seen that the string-piece 28 is secured in place by two of the screws 17, and the end of the string-piece overlaps the connection between the flanges of the top and bottom portions of the body of the violin, and

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said string-piece thus aids in securing said top and bottom portions together, and by means of this construction I produce a violin of superior tone and improved form andone which is not subject to injury by moisture or damp air and which is not so liable to get out of order as violins of the usual construction. It will also be seen that the edges of the body portion of the violin are rounded, as shown at 31 in Figs. 3 and 5, and the violin is thus given an improved form andmuch improved tone and is more easily manipulated 0r handled, and no rough or projecting flanges are formed around the top and bottom of the body portion.

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- As an improved article of manufacture, a violin of the class described, having the body portion formed of sheet metal, a body proper formed of the two plates constituting respectively upper and lower half-sections which plates are respectively formed with the side rims or flanges joined at their meeting edges amass and constituting together the sides and ends of the body portion, the upper and lower plates of said body portion being interiorly provided with reinforcing sheet-metal strips, and a separate neck portion similarly formed of sheet metal and having its bottom plate secured to the rear portion of the bottom plate of the body portion and its top plate intersected intermediately of its ends by the rear portion of the top plate of the body portion and secured thereto, said rear portion of the top plate of the body portion being bent upright, so that the front portion of the top plate of the neck portion forms an integral metallic finger-board projecting forwardly over the top plate of the body portion, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this llth day of June, 1899.

JOHN SWENSON. Witnesses:

F. A. STEWART, G. C. OLSEN. 

